Apple TV in Canada

Question

I am considering Apple TV in the hope that it will become more economical than cable TV. I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and have a HD TV. I recently read an article in a magazine looking at the cost breakdown of cable, Apple TV and Mac Mini over one and three years and was quite amazed. However, this was based in the US and I am not sure of the access to free sites like Hulu and deals like Netflix ($8.99/month for 1 DVD download at a time) in Canada. I can get into Hulu, but they don't seem to have many full episodes. Netflix doesn't exist in Canada and most internet DVD companies seem to rely on the slow mail system rather than having downloadable DVDs. So, I am not sure how economical it would be to cancel my cable subscription when free TV downloads and good DVD deals are not as available in Canada. So my questions:
1. How well does Apple TV work in Canada?
2. In your experience, is it more economical than cable TV?
3. We typically watch shows like Two and Half Men, CSI and CSI:NY, How I Met Your Mother, Mad Men, and Heroes; channels like HGTV; and sports like the Tour de France (OLN) and Australian Rules Football (Setanta). I know we can get most of the TV shows, but what about HGTV, OLN and Setanta?
4. Do you know of any internet DVD company that offers monthly deals similar to Netflix for Canadian customers?
5. I have downloaded Hotspot Shield which gives access to US iTunes and Netflix, but I believe this has a download limit. Does anyone have any experience with this in Canada and how good is it in accessing the Netflix deal for instance?
6. What's the difference between Apple TV and Mac Mini for TV and DVD?
Thanks

Answer 1

1. How well does Apple TV work in Canada?
Any discussions about modifying the Apple TV, even through a software hack, can't be posted here. But I can assure you, for a variety of reasons, if you're looking to access Hulu and Netflix from Canada, you won't be able to with an ATV.
2. In your experience, is it more economical than cable TV?
Only you can answer that, since it depends on how much TV you watch. If you like to watch live sports events, etc, you're better off sticking with cable.
3. We typically watch shows like Two and Half Men, CSI and CSI:NY, How I Met Your Mother, Mad Men, and Heroes; channels like HGTV; and sports like the Tour de France (OLN) and Australian Rules Football (Setanta). I know we can get most of the TV shows, but what about HGTV, OLN and Setanta?
Are you talking about "getting" them through the iTunes Store? If so, take a look. If you're talking about getting them through a Boxee hack, then once again, this is not the place to discuss.
4. Do you know of any internet DVD company that offers monthly deals similar to Netflix for Canadian customers?
Again, are you talking about downloadable media, or the old Netflix drop-it-in-the-mail model? If it's the former, no, I don't know of any. If it's the latter, there is a Canadian company doing this, but for the life of me I can't recall their name at the moment. For what it's worth, I only rent movies through the Apple TV now. Love it.
5. I have downloaded Hotspot Shield which gives access to US iTunes and Netflix, but I believe this has a download limit. Does anyone have any experience with this in Canada and how good is it in accessing the Netflix deal for instance?
Dude, you have violated so many of the terms of this forum, not to mention your iTunes Store user agreement. You may want to post these questions elsewhere.
6. What's the difference between Apple TV and Mac Mini for TV and DVD?
Search this forum for Winston Churchill's excellent guide to the differences between the two, and his evaluation of each.
Thanks